#i'd like to try to make something more fleshed out on this theme though

[ivan-serrure]

we dont have nearly enough lascivious male bather depictions in art and we need to change that

[theoddest1]

Okay so, ima type in what I typed to my friend here.

"Yeah Ima be so dead ass. ||Mel and Ekko carried the final for me, ESPECIALLY Ekko."

Yeah, they should have just kept [Viktor] being Ryze. That made more sense to me than whatever this is. And I am all for mlm rep, but yeah, this felt WAY too, Jayvikky. I liked it better that they were brothers to parallel Vander and Silco, who also found each other and became bros, but it seemed like they went with how popular JayVik was and stuck with it. And Jayce being strung with Viktor for wherever they went felt...kinda nonsensical. I'd rather that Viktor was thwarted and too far gone to then just suddenly have a change of heart and go with Jayce. I imagined that he would have a contingency where he, incase his body was destroyed, would then later rise again to try and enact "Glorious Evolution". It would go well with the themes of his beliefs anyway because every time he dies, he comes back stronger in a new body. I feel like that would better set the ongoing conflict and fit well with the game and why he looks the way he does currently.

I also don't like how quick he and Mel's reunion was considering how much he favored her along with his odd and sudden dislike for her decisions-- Seriously, where did that even come from!?"

[Thought it over further. Him calling her out on her actions isn't the issue. It's the timing and how this transpires that confuses me. He just came from a post-apocalyptic world where Mel, Viktor, and everything else came to mind. The lack of time for them to truly talk made the scene felt out of nowhere and not at all fleshed out. He goes on to place part of the blame on her when literally it wasn't. She DID manipulate but only politically. Everything else was on he and Viktor. Then, when he DOES confront Viktor, the vibes are different. Viktor hurt and caused a chain of events that led to several lives being taken to ensure survival and his "Glorious Evolution", why is this essentially overlooked? Maybe when I review this again, it will make more sense, but as of now, the way Jayce treats both Mel and Viktor is VERY questionable.]

"I would have been pretty happy if He at least gave her a hug, a kiss, something to make their relationship seem consistent with what we were shown. I know that he's been gone for a while and a lot more cold, but this was a very odd direction to go with. I am super happy about Cait and Mel fighting side by side and that Mel may be the main character for a new Noxus related show! [Which I knew they'd set up!] but this series, after seeing it in its entirety, DID suffer too much from the pacing issues. I assumed at the First Act that it was quick paced to go with how they've all been shifted into places they didn't see coming, but the pacing issues continued to bring down the quality. 3 seasons would have made way more sense and would go well with the 3 ACT formula they had used. I hope they learn from this and refrain from making similar mistakes.

[I responded to my friend who posted these images above] I knew they'd make a callback to this line eventually, and I am genuinely surprised people are not catching this obvious set up to Jinx living. Also, I am betting that Heimer did "die" but only that alternate version of himself. [Though obviously I could be wrong, though a life of various lifetimes where he helps each version of the main cast sounds very Heimerdinger of him, especially since he didn't wanna leave.]

The biggest letdown for me has to be Jayce and Viktor's story. It just...doesn't make sense with what we have been shown. Also, if Viktor KNOWS bad shit would happen when bringing Hextech to life and all, why TF would he give it to Jayce then???? Or if he STILL wanted magic to be tampered with shy doesn't he comvince himself in a way HE KNOWS would prevent what happens next, surely NOT EVERY timeline has it where you continue on the path of destruction! You see what I mean!?!? Leave the time crap to Ekko, man. This new inclusion makes no sense! And he does this in VARIOUS timeliness for some reason. Man, I wish it was just a random ass mage or Ryze, this added stuff kinda kills the finale for me🫠

I feel that making Viktor time travel ruins a huge aspect of the story, ngl, especially when Jayce argues that people can "craft their own path." The story also shouldn't have ended with what I could only assume both of them "dying" or traversing time instead. Also, the way Sky was treated and essentially replaced with Jayce feels....very very weeeeird."

[I believe that the ending just didn't land that well. I feel, now thinking over every character, Ekko, Mel, and Jinx carried this season HEAVY. These 3 were the most interesting parts of the season, honorable mention being Singed cause he be doing what he MUST. Also, what was the point of introducing Loris if all he was gonna end up being was a random guy who reminded Vi of Vander? I guess nothing is wrong with this, but when you're already stringing for time, these inclusions make no sense... I liked him, though, RIP Loris🤧. Oh, and Caut barely facing consequences is KINDA CRAZY but it goes with the themes of forgiveness/ acceptance. The Cycle would never end, after all, but yeah Vi and Cait made up WAY too fast and just shows that this needed another season. Let me know your thoughts!]

[sommerregenjuniluft]

something something day of the week snippet

helo tumblr *wrings hands* i've been a little mia recently especially in tag thingies because we've not been doing too hot mentally but alas here i am :p

@grimsneverendingfuneral tagged me (kissing u) in a mouthwatering rosekiller wip snippet and i saw saints' too so i thought i'd just keep the theme going so have some Ant Pile (btw i'm trying to finish this until my birthday so mid february! fingers crossed you get everything of this soon)

Evan hits him upside the head making Barty growl. “Well, bitch boy, maybe. Since it seems you like to do that so fucking much.” 

“Dickface.”

“Bitch boy.”

“You–” and then Barty’s upper lip pulls back and- oh, fuck no.

“Ay! Don’t fucking bite me again, B,” Evan rears his arm back and out of reach, “I swear to– get the fuck off.”

Barty snarls, teeth bared in a too wide smile, cheeks crinkling with stretched dimples. Evan is only mildly obsessed with them whenever they pop out.

That’s probably the reason Barty gets the opportunity to make a swift grab for his wrists and pin them over his head. They scramble against each other, trying to win the upper hand as their legs wriggle, slip, knees knocking, and then Barty is suddenly perched on his chest, straddling his torso and sinking his teeth into the soft underside of Evan’s forearm.

He cries out through clenched teeth, more startled than hurt, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting like a motherfucker as Barty’s jaw stays clamped shut around Evan’s flesh.

There’s a sucked in breath against Evan’s skin, sounding excited, and there must be some kind of blood flow interruption because his head gets a little dizzy then.

It draws a noise out of him, body involuntarily starting to squirm and eventually prompting Barty to let up.

The first thing Evan feels is relief which is promptly inundated. Another noise punching out of him, a pained hiss when the marked skin starts throbbing. 

Barty above him gives a pleased chuckle, then a wet slurping noise, collecting the spit back up into his mouth. 

Another throb, whole-body, and Evan groans.

Barty adjusts on top and leans down again.

Evan’s eyes fly open, frantically wiggling to get away but Barty’s grip is iron and then there’s something warm-wet. Pleasant.

Evan blinks and tips his head back, something lodging in his throat when he watches Barty lap over the teeth indents with his tongue. Warm and careful, a soothing gesture. 

He doesn’t slobber on it, rather alternating between long swipes with the flat of his tongue and little kitten licks. Until Barty makes a small sound and then his lips come down over the marred skin too.

Soft pressure, damp lips coming down randomly over and over again, here and there and over there, too.

A constant, recurring puff of breaths spilled over Evan’s sensitive skin, much too gentle in the face of the firm way Barty’s hand still holds him down by the wrists.

“B,” Evan chokes out when he feels some of the returning blood rushing south too.

His friend grunts, not really in acknowledgement but more in a dismissive let me cook here way and Evan bites down hard on his lower lip. That doesn’t help him suppress the startled moan though when Barty suddenly sucks the pulsing skin into his mouth.

Adam’s apple bobbing and holding the patch of skin in his mouth, cheeks hollowing and takes everything in Evan not to buck his hips when he feels himself twitch in his pants.

Evan’s voice is so husky he barely recognizes it himself when he strangles out, “Barty, you gotta let go.”

The skin pops out of his mouth with a wet smacking noise and Evan feels positively stupid as he watches Barty’s lips come down for one more gentle kiss like he just can’t help himself.

Barty sits back, still kind of looking at Evan like he wants to eat him, hands sliding off his wrists and Evan barely refrains from whimpering.

“Fuck, I hate you. You’re insane,” he pants, feeling where Barty is hard against his stomach, “Why was that hot?”

“Dunno,” Barty responds, eyes still glazed and staring down at Evan with something akin to awe. “Kinda wanna do that to your neck now.”

i have lost any concept of time and as mentioned been not too active so apologies if youve been tagged in one of these fairly recently lol <3 @stagpdf, @static-radio-ao3, @itsjaywalkers, @rottin6, @veryinnovative, @messrsage, @maliceofminds, @lemndrps, @214lilacsky, @regscupid, @xjustakay, @standardlovers and @kaleidoscopexsighs

[ilikelookingatthings]

full metal alchemist gravity falls au conversation

likelookingatthings Go full metal alchemist ford!

greycoffeethe amount of angst an AU like this can create... dang i need this as a fic so bad

ilikelookingatthings@greycoffee The fact when you commented this so I told my sister and she isn't even in the gravity falls fandom...yet immediately pingponged alternate ways a full mental alchemist gravity falls fic au could go.

Stan as Edward whose brother's body was lost like al as a parallel to ford accidentally getting sucked in the portal and how stan was burned with a reminder.

. The burning house losing identity parallel to not turn back til he gets his brother back. A version where ford's soul was lost but not his body and Stan gets punched in that white void like when Ed sees his brother.A version where like normal full mental fird is in a suit like al and lost his body.

A version where Stan has to pretend to be his alchemist brother but can't do alchemy...just conning his way into people believing it.

How you coukd mix different aspects together. Professor Markov with his research and paranoia similar to ford. How maybe they tried to mess with a taboo. Like maybe they were trying to bring someone back....or maybe ford got tricked by the hulunculi becayse ifvhisctendency to push boundaries in research bht realized he went too far or something..aspect of government conspiracies and how the philosophers stone also connects gold/wealth which stan was obsessed with.

Even brought up a thought if a Stanford stanely parallel with greed and the prince. And a unending options defending on what ratio you lean toward .

Greycoffe@ THESE ARE SUCH GOOD IDEAS HOLY SHIT?? like another idea I got from one of yours is Dip&Mab being Ed&Al and after trying to bring back their dead loved one, have to move in with Stan (this version's Pinako) who's taking care of Pacifica (can be someone else, but I thought she'd be a cute love interest for either twin).

greycoffee i really enjoyed reading your ideas but I cannot for the love of me write out a fully fleshed out fic bc I'm already writing other AUs 😭 (i shall keep this in my notes however :3)

Ford could possibly be someone like Hohenheim with Bill being the homunculus in the flask, etc etc

ilikelookingatthings@greycoffee Ooooh that's fun! Cuz Pacifica abd windy are blonde..also some potential if she represents king Bradley's kid. What with her family being rich and the theme of corruption of rich government people. There is also the option of what if Stan if Stan is the alchemist teacher.....

ooooh or if dipper and Mabel represent Edward while stan is al.Personally off arc I'd picture her as from the north fortress from the Armstrong family.

or that guy with a mustache from the mining town who gets overthrown by the siblings meddling who gets caught up in shenegans and petty talks of revenge but who slowly gets a arc if being a better person.

Huh...just realized Pacifica could also be greed, the prince or Mei since her sense of importance and need to make her family happy and her struggle to understand friends.

Want to throw out there fiddleford could be doctor Markov. And for fun and not for real...Barry the butcher as stan.

Though if Pacifica is winry would that make that ghost who hates her family scar? Though if she's a Armstrong would that make sloth the ghost?

Honestly I get the feeling. I'm so behind on getting through my fanfiction tabs the thought of writing myself even when I have ideas to chew on can feel like too much at times.

I'm gonna reblog this conversation. See if anyone else wants to chew on this bone.

Extra thought...stanley and fird as Riza and mustang considering the trying to become mayor plot line and who we knkw gets injured in the end.

Also a funny imagine is while adjusting ages can work...just imagine all the characters the same age in gravity falls and things get ten times more hilarious (or sad depending) cuz the government has a bunch of kid employees running things. Just imagine old stan and ford as the elric Brothers while the kid superiors are dipper and Mabel.

[yanderes-galore]

Hi, how are you going?

Fandom: TMNT 2012

Character: Raphael

Fic type: romantic concept with dear-yandere's prompts 82. Punishment, 98. Stitches and 103. Teeth.

Personally I'm doing okay and I'd love to try my best at these prompts! @okchijt wanted to try their hand at a sadistic Raph prompt plot so I approved what they did and fleshed it out! They helped a lot! Hopefully this became a good story :D (Albeit unnerving). Warning, this one's definitely messed up so adhere to trigger warnings before hitting read more. You have been warned.

Prompts Here

Yandere! 2012! Raphael Prompts 82, 98, 103

“I know it hurts, honey, but this is what happens when you don’t do what I say.”

“I really want to be gentle to you right now, but you’re making it impossible.”

“Smart ass. I’d suggest biting your tongue before I rip it out.”

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Jealousy, Violence, Swearing, Threats, Anger issues, Toxic themes, Dubious relationship, Accusations of cheating, Implied delusional behavior, Implied kidnapping, Dehumanization/Degradation, Manipulation, Cuts, Punishment, Wounds, Blood, Toxic relationship obviously, Sadism, Broken bones, He feels bad at the end... kinda, TRIGGERING THEMES AS DARLING GETS HURT IN THIS.

Raph's blood boiled when he saw you look so happy with Leo, his brother. You smiled at him like you hadn't a care in the world. You laughed with him as though you weren't betraying him.

Raph hated how close you were with his brother. Sometimes it felt like Leo was better than him. It only ever angered Raph when you're so easily pleased by his brother.

Why are you never like this with him?

Was it because Leo was so much nicer? Raphael tries his best to be loving and caring with you. In fact he succeeds most of the time, he's capable of being soft. It's just that... his anger tends to get the best of him.

As a result you often become the victim of his frustration. He can't help it and he knows he has a problem. But sometimes... especially when he sees you appeal to Leo more than him...

He feels it can be justified.

Having enough of the laughing and casual conversation between you two, Raphael stands up. He feels his eye twitch and the fact he can't compete with his brother. You're talking about Leo's favorite show or something, commenting on certain moments. You barely even notice Raph is there.

Until he grabs your arm.

Silence overcomes everyone in the room as Raphael yanks you towards his room. Leonardo looks as though he wants to say something to his brother but it unsure. Based on the harsh grip the mutant has on you, you can only assume what you're in for. Were you in trouble? For what?

Raphael can't help himself when he tosses you onto the bed in his room. The wind is knocked out of you and you hear the door slam as Raphael locks the door with an audible click. Before you're able to respond to him he yells at you.

"You're cheating on me!" He growls, green eyes narrowed at your confused expression. "You always get so damn comfortable with Leo like we're not involved!"

"Raph, we're just friends? Me and Leo happen to enjoy the same show-" You try to defend yourself but your voice is quickly drowned out by his.

“Smart ass. I’d suggest biting your tongue before I rip it out.”

With that you grow silent as Raphael rages on. You hated when he got like this. His anger was like a monster that can't be tamed.

He was a monster that can't be tamed.

"I don't want you so close to him anymore! It drives me mad! It's so damn annoying... why can't you just pay attention to me?"

"That seems to be all I ever do! Talking to others is my only form of normalcy. You won't even let me go home. I can't live like some pet!" You snap back, fed up with all of his accusations. "Leo isn't going to do anything. He won't come between us!"

"Really?"

"I'm tired of things too, Raph! I'm tired of being scared of you! I'm tired of the pain, I'm tired of being some sort of obedient little pet for you. I'm tired of you CONTROLLING me!" You snap, rightfully calling out the turtle on his behavior for the past few months.

Raphael laughs at your breakdown. It's partially because you called him out. This was all a personal attack and you both knew that.

He wasn't going to deal with this.

"Oh, please! You're nothing without me." Raphael growls, stalking you into the corner of his room. "Without me, you'd be as good as dead in this world."

Regret bristles the hair on your skin as you realize how trapped you are. You shake your head and shove yourself into the corner of the bed. You really should've held your tongue.

"I'm sorry, we're just both frustrated and-"

"This'll only hurt a bit, you know better."

With lightning speed, Raph pulls his sai and cuts your skin. His cuts are sloppy but it's enough to get the lesson across. You scream in pain, the blood dripping down your arm.

"Oh... please, Raph-!" You cry, but those green eyes are cold.

"It's not enough." He says, making eye contact with you. "I need to get the point across."

"Huh?"

*SNAP*

At first, you felt nothing. If was like the adrenaline made it seem like he didn't break your arm. At first the audible crack was your only clue.

Then the pain set in.

Then you screamed.

“I know it hurts, honey, but this is what happens when you don’t do what I say.” Raphael coos towards you, shushing you and soothing you like he didn't just break your arm. He's sickeningly sweet all of a sudden as he places a hand over your whimpering mouth. You stare at him with fear and he isn't sure if he hates it or adores it.

You weakly cry apologies towards him as he pulls out medical supplies from beneath his bed. He feels he's made his point. Now it's time to fix things.

"Shhh, it's all over. I'll fix you and maybe next time you'll listen." Raphael soothes, kissing your head as he makes a makeshift cast and splint. "It's going to hurt, but by now I think you know that."

Fixing you is harder than breaking you. Despite this and all of your crying, Raphael manages to patch you up. Part of him feels bad he's done such a thing to the one he loves.

Yet he tries to tell himself it's deserved for making him feel so jealous.

Do he love or hate your tears...?

By the end of it all you turn away from Raphael on the bed. You hiss in pain at times and flinch away from him due to what he's done. You can't tell if he did this with blind rage... or he did this of his own accord.

You don't care.

“I really want to be gentle to you right now, but you’re making it impossible.” Raph grumbles bitterly, his anger simmering down as he sits on the bed. He patched you up the best he can, now it's just the aftermath.

The tone of the mutant still sounds like a threat to you, causing you to listen to him more. The last thing you want is more pain. You're miserable enough with him right now already.

"... C'mere."

Reluctantly you're pulled into the arms of Raph as he leans down with you. He rubs your back in an attempt to be soothing but you're so rigid in his arms. It's all for a good reason, Raphael even begins to think back on what he's done.

His obsession over you only ever gets worse.

"I'm sorry..." He whispers into your hair. "I wish I knew how to love you."

He doesn't expect an answer back.

[thebramblewood]

4, 18, 22, 25, 26 🤍

4. How did you choose the name of your story?

I remember trying to come up with something evocative but not spoiler-y. I think the biggest contender I had was Fresh Meat, which was supposed to be a play on Helena starting off as a naive college freshman but also a hint toward the vampire element (though it might actually give more werewolf). I also kept trying to come up with something using the word "blood," but that didn't work either. Ultimately, I just decided to make it as blunt and straightforward as possible, a., because I think the why and the how are always more important than the what, b., because I liked that it seemed to give everything away but also raised more questions, and, c., because it perfectly sets up the title for part two, if we ever get there. 😉

18. Answered (boringly) here.

22. Choose a favorite character from your story so far.

I'm going to say Ulrike because she's definitely my type physically but I also ended up way more attached to her emotionally than I thought I would. When I first brought her into the story, she wasn't very fleshed out beyond being Helena's future girlfriend, but she really became special to me and is a lot of fun to write as a big softie with a heavily sarcastic and guarded exterior. 🥹 Caleb is, of course, the other character I went in with a generalized picture of, and he's now my tortured vampire baby. 😭

25. What inspirations have you drawn on for your story?

I feel like a big fake answering these sorts of questions because I'm truly just coasting on subconscious vibes!! I have no mood boards. There's just a big jumble in my brain that gets sorted out semi-coherently in a way I can't explain. I suppose my initial inspiration was just wanting to explore vampire gameplay, which I'd never done before in any Sims game, and that really spiraled! Both ironically and unironically, though, it always comes back to Twilight.

26. Have other sim stories inspired you?

Absolutely!!! I was inspired to start one in the first place because of amazingly talented people like @gunthermunch and @softpine. Recently, I've been so inspired by what @fallstaticexit and @dreamlandiasims have been doing with sci-fi/fantasy themes! And I've also been inspired by historical storytellers like @aheathen-conceivably and @antiquatedplumbobs and @bloodylittlemess (and yourself!) to develop more of the Vatores' past! And there are, of course, so many others I've left out!

[hoardingpuffin]

Over the Garden Wall Fable AU Concepts

Okay, so - when I was across the pond to see my partner, them and I watched Over the Garden Wall. @the-uninformed-zennial had never seen it, and it's so very much their vibe so obviously we had to. And, as we are both Fable nerds, we ended up talking about potential AU ideas. I'd had two possible concepts for AUs floating in my noggin for a while and we fleshed them out together a bit.

Now, between (hopefully) finishing Three Wishes, and the holidays, and that pesky 30+ page bachelor thesis paper, I won't have time to write them as actual fics anytime soon, so I figured I'd at least put out the concepts somewhere, and Tumblr seemed like a good choice.

For anyone unfamilar with Over the Garden Wall: It's a mini series by Patrick McHale that aired on CartoonNetwork a while ago, focussing on two brothers stuck in the mysterious Unknown trying to get home and experiencing wacky halloween-y hijinks on the way. The Unknown is often interpreted to be a sort of afterlife/limbo, and the series has a lot of themes of that direction, but it's still quite charming and cute and funny (as it is made for kids).

_____________________________________________________________

Concept 1 Icarus and Rae are in the place of Greg and Wirt – they got into some sort of fight in the real world and ended up in a situation that made them enter the Unknown as a limbo between living and dying. In this case, the characters from the Unknown would be remaining a lot more like the ones we know from the show, so the Woodsman is just The Woodsman, the Beast is just The Beast, and so on. I’m not sure who’d be in the place of Beatrice, but there are a few possibilities. If we’re going with the popular interpretation that the Unknown is a form of the afterlife, then it could be someone from canon who has passed already (if we wanna be angsty, it could be Haley maybe? I am not sure if I want her to be though), or alternatively Beatrice could just be a random soul who, like in OtGW Canon, is trying to free their own family.

In this AU, the story would probably progress similar to the one in OtGW – Icarus and Rae trying to get home and through the Unknown, getting into more fights along the way, until Icarus ends up losing faith in being able to get home completely. Rae – much like Greg – would offer himself to the Beast in order to get Icarus home, and Icarus in turn would have to step up and be a responsible older brother and save Rae from turning into an Edelwood.

There’s a lot of similarities between Icarus and Wirt, I feel like, though Wirt’s anxious poetic nature seems more alike Rae. But both Icarus and Wirt have this streak of blaming their younger brothers for stuff that those brothers weren’t necessarily responsible for, and lashing out at them, so I can see Icarus in Wirt’s place rather well. Plus, well, Rae, like Greg, going on a whole arc of “maybe this is actually my fault so I’m gonna go with the Beast to try and fix it” seems fitting for him to me.

Concept 2

Now, the other concept I might actually like more by just a little bit – in this, the people lost in the Unknown would likely be Athena and Jamie, who (due to something other in the real world) are finding themselves in the woods, where they meet the Woodsman – who would be Rae. I can just see Rae being someone to devote themselves to being the Lantern Bearer for the Beast, if it meant to keep the soul of a loved one alive (though in this case it wouldn’t be the child, but likely Aax and Caspian) – plus, the Beast has the whole antler aesthetic going on, so that can overlap neatly with the warden in my opinion. Maybe it’s just cause the Woodsman is such a tragic figure already in OtGW canon, but I think it would be a neat spin to see that character lead the ones lost in the Unknown instead of just sending them on their way, to make the idea that he might be the Beast even worse of a betrayal, which I always thought OtGW was a bit light on. I wish they’d have given that betrayal as much weight as Beatrice’s betrayal. And then, once revealed to the Woodsman that the Lantern holds the Beast’s soul, not anyone else’s, the big fight feels in character for Rae to me, too. Rae’s devotion to the ones he loves is immense, and him fighting the monster that deceived him so – especially to also keep two innocent souls safe in the process – would not only be in character, but also give a quite triumphant turn for him in this AU. Plus, he’d get the happy ending he deserves once he actually slays the Beast and returns home to see that his loved ones are actually there and likely have been all along. The unfortunate side to his AU idea is that most of the characters in the Unknown, like Rae, already being dead and likely for a long time. However, Zenni presented an alternative idea, where the inhabitants of the Unknown aren’t always actually the souls of the deceased, but might also be sort of mirror-verse representations of them. I’m not sure how Athena and Jamie would get to the Unknown then, but it would be an interesting concept to explore, and give more detail to the world – plus, give Athena and Jamie both more of a reason to trust the Woodsman and either for the believed betrayal to hit even worse or for them to not believe it because they know Rae so well in the real world.

_____________________________________________________________

Now, obviously, these are just concepts, not nearly as fleshed out as I would make an actual fanfic - and some stuff might be jumbled as I've not actually written it out before and the whole Putting Things In Your Writing Brain Into Actual Writing thing is difficult as fuck.

Anyways. Those are the two ideas I came up with and have been mulling around my noggin. I don't know if I'll write them, gonna be honest, but - they are concepts alright.

[thatgirl4815]

Only Friends Series Review/Themes

And so we've finally reached the end. It's been wild ride. I find it difficult to put a number to a review, but I think the series as a whole managed to tackle quite a few conflicts relatively seamlessly, and as a whole I think they delivered on the "messiness" that was promised (even though things could always be messier, such as giving Sand a bat...but I digress). I'll look at each couple independently and discuss their characters within that.

Sand/Ray

Goes without saying that Sand and Ray were the main draw for me, and despite all the fears and discourse throughout, they were a solid endgame. There was no ambiguity, no open-ending--just pure happiness in that car on the rooftop. I ended the episode with a smile on my face. Not to mention that montage of them dancing in the streets and on the stairs. I had a grin on my face the whole time.

As a whole, I think SandRay's relationship meant a lot to both characters, more than they ever meant it too that night they first met in the bar. Considering where each couple started and how negative things were at the onset, I think theirs is the most poignant ending. As Ray says in the finale, Sand gives him a purpose and goal to work towards. Ray is now in a position where he can better himself. As someone who seems to have spent so much of his life feeling unwanted, Sand is the one who shows him that he is more. It's unfortunate that this had to come at a price for Sand at times, but the fact that they were able to work past their issues says the most about their dynamic. As far as communication goes, they say what they mean and own up to their mistakes. SandRay's superpower: "thank you's" and "I'm sorry's." Especially from Ray--yes, he tends to act like an asshole, but he knows it. He's self aware. There's an element of self-fulfilling prophecy guiding his actions a lot of the time I think, because if "I'm such a burden, why try to be anything different?" Ray gives in to fatalistic thinking, but it is Sand who talks him back from the edge time and time again. Sand is a caretaker and Ray is someone in need of caretaking. What blossoms from that starting dynamic is truly beautiful. They're very different people, but that's what makes them best suited for each other. Regardless of everything else, they make each other happy. There was never anything in this series that made me doubt that connection.

If I was to find fault in their storyline, it would be in the final two episodes. Everything up to that point was very well-executed, but Boeing was brought in at the wrong time. Possessive Ray is good, but not at this late stage of the series. Additionally, Sand's reaction to Boeing will never not frustrate me, as even though it may be in character, I never felt the weight of what it is Sand is going through in regards to Boeing. This could've been resolved in a flashback or more discussion of their relationship...something. Instead, Boeing was a throwaway plot device that was there to stir the pot for a few episodes before being conveniently discarded. Unfortunate. What I would've loved to see was more of Ray's rehab and any conflicts stemming from that, especially because this is such an important topic to discuss.

Favorite Scene: Favorite SandRay scene is honestly up in the air--there are too many good ones. I'd say it's between the montage in the last episode, the record store scene in Ep4, the cheek kiss in Ep9, or the therapy scene in Ep10. I know Sand wasn't there for the therapy scene, but that was such an important moment for Ray's character that I feel a special attachment to it.

Top/Mew

Anyone who has seen my comments on TopMew knows that I've never been the most fond of their relationship. I agree with what some others have said in the past that they're much more compelling on their own rather than together. Additionally, Top had the potential to be fleshed out much more than he was, as was hinted at with his traumatic backstory early on. Instead, both he and Mew were left to dwell in mediocrity.

My problem with TopMew is that their relationship never seemed to go anywhere. They had discussions about their feelings and concerns, but the progression always felt very minimal. When the cheating plotline came into effect, it felt like three episodes of the same cycle: Top apologizing, begging for Mew's forgiveness, Mew's resistance, Mew secretly still having feelings for Top that he can't reconcile, Mew lashing out, Top getting upset, and repeat.

Beyond that, I just felt a general lack of chemistry between them. This is not meant to be a ForceBook criticism, because I'm sure they do genuinely have good chemistry together. But the relationship altogether felt tense. If there was any word I would use to describe TopMew, it would be that. Even when Mew gave in to Top, it never felt like he truly gave in. As an audience member, Mew's obstinance and inflexibility made me frustrated more often than not. I find this last point especially interesting because out of all characters, I'm probably most similar to Mew in my real life.

I do have to hand it to the writers though--a cheating plotline is not easy to deal with. While I feel like TopMew were pushed together in the end, whether it truly made sense or not, I do admire that they tried so hard to show us their efforts to work through their issues.

Favorite Scene: I like the scene from Ep11 where Top cries and essentially lays out all his feelings. It felt like one of the most honest things we've seen from him. There were other sweeter scenes that I liked earlier on, like the cafe date where they talk about lasik, but it was harder to enjoy plot points early on with TopBoston's hookup lurking in the back of my mind.

Boston/Nick

The only couple that didn't get a happy ending. Honestly, as per my predictions at the beginning of the series, this didn't come as much of a surprise, though it did feel a bit rushed. Similar to TopMew, I do admire that the writers were not afraid to show how deeply entrenched Boston is in his promiscuous lifestyle that he is unable to break away from it. I also think Boston's character brings up a lot of interesting discussions about morality and how we perceive men, particularly queer men, leading this kind of lifestyle. I touch on this topic as well as pacing in this ask, so I won't get into too much detail here.

There have been many discussions about BostonNick's relationship in the context of ephemerality. I've been thinking lately how Boston's entire character is built on this idea: he doesn't want anything long-term, and he's content drifting from person to person and place to place making rash decisions along the way. This way of thinking has led him to disregard the consequences of his actions.

There are two specific points in this episode where Boston and Nick's flaws are addressed: once when Mew tells Boston that he should look to make a change within himself, and another time when Nick admits that he wants to start caring for himself more.

Boston and Nick can ultimately get more out of their relationship now that its ended more than they ever could while they were together. And though I might have my gripes with the execution (the pacing, more specifically), I do think this takeaway is important in the greater scheme. Nick now knows more about what he wants and deserves, and Boston now knows more about what kind of commitments he's willing to make and the honest communication required for any bond.

What's also interesting to me is that Boston's lesson here isn't confined to his romantic relationships. Boston going to NYC is a convenient escape from the mess he's created, but it really is a new start for him, a chance to start anew and actually contend with what he knows is wrong. That scene on the rooftop between BostonNick in Ep10 means something: Boston knows he's destructive. He knows he's a bad guy. And oddly enough, I think that's the most hopeful sign for him.

The only other gripe I have with this relationship is that it felt like they were secondary to the other two couples, particularly in the way they were treated in the final minutes. I know Boston left for NYC and Nick hasn't been involved in the hostel throughout the series, but I still wish Nick would've gotten to partake...maybe with Dan on his arm? Unfortunately we're left guessing about how Nick is doing.

Favorite Scene: The scene on the rooftop from Ep10 was so sweet. It really felt like a solid coming-back-together for them. I'm sad it didn't work out, but I also feel like this was the most satisfying conclusion.

Drawbacks

Inevitably, there were some issues that I took with the series throughout, many of which I already mentioned above. Some are general and some are rather specific...

Boeing. Pretty much everything about Boeing felt tacked on for dramatic effect. He felt like a shallow villain because his motives weren't fully fleshed out. We can infer that he's egotistical and selfish, chasing after Top and pursuing Sand after when he doesn't get his way. But his relationship with Sand needed more fleshing out and could've benefitted from better placement. If Boeing had entered the conflict when Ray was still in a "relationship" with Mew, that would've escalated the conflict between SandRay more by showing Ray how fragile his situation is.

Atom situation being brushed under the rug. Many others have commented on this, so I won't belabor it. But accusing someone of SA, even if that person is as cruel as Boston, is never okay. Atom apologized for it, yeah, but Cheum's apology did not satisfy me.

Moral superiority. This is not a criticism exactly, but I really wish some characters' moral superiority would've been addressed/called out more (I'm thinking of Mew and Cheum). I also wish this would've come into play in discussions about Ray's addiction problem.

Some scene cuts: tattoo bit being cut out of Ep5. I'm glad they put it back in, but it was frustrating that it was removed in the first place.

I never saw First Kanaphan holding a bat in this series. It's all I wanted, seriously. All criticisms would've been wiped away if they'd only let him hold one. (Points back for that TopSand kiss though. The way Sand pushed him back against the couch...man had been wanting to vent his anger for a long time.)

Mew getting lasik. Glasses for the win.

WE NEED MORE MIX! That last scene with Mix has been on my mind all day. He made such an impact on me with his cameo that I only think what could've been if he'd had more of a role.

Overarching Themes

I won't go into too much depth on these since this post is already getting massive, but some core themes that I think stand out in this finale (and just overall):

Ephemerality: specifically related to BostonNick, but there's been some extensive meta on its application overall.

Boundaries:

Self-respect: I think this tends to go hand-in-hand with boundaries as a theme.

Self-love: @thegalwhorants made a great post about this earlier on in the series here, particularly with Ray's character.

Polyamory/Promiscuity: I wouldn't classify this as a "theme" exactly, but it's worth mentioning how a series like this tackles the idea of promiscuity and sexual relationships and what other series can gain from that kind of discussion.

Okay! I'm sure I'll think of more things to add to this, but my mind has been buzzing since that finale. Overall, I'm satisfied. There are issues, and some plot points towards the ends started to feel sloppy and rushed, but those were not pressing enough to damage my overall opinion of the show. I know this will remain one of my favorites from GMMTV for a long while.

Tagging the ephemerality squad for my discussion of ephemerality in regards to Boston and Nick and the themes mentioned above: @waitmyturtles @ranchthoughts, @chickenstrangers, @twig-tea, @neuroticbookworm, @lurkingshan, @distant-screaming, @clara-maybe-ontheroad

[sunder-the-gold]

In atonement for my recent, incoherent attempt at communication (I apologize, by the way), I would like to ask you something actually comprehensible and minimally fitting with the blog's theme: Would you recommend me watching RWBY? I mean, I would not have known it (at least not as soon as I did) if not for you, and I see you not only reblog things about it, you actively and responsably discuss it and approaches it in many interesting ways, which shows me you have a good level of passion about it. I usually refrain myself from engaging too much with it here because I have had in mind the idea of giving it a shot one day for some time already, though, seeing people complaining about its production history and ending(?) made me feel uncertain about it. So, I wanted to hear from you mister Sunder, should I give it a try or should I limit myself to seeing its content around here? And again, I apologize for my recent demeanor.

If you liked stories like Avatar: The Last Airbender and practically every Final Fantasy, you should find RWBY entertaining enough.

(Though the early Volumes are more akin to the original FF7, and the later Volumes are more akin to the fleshed-out FF7 remake.)

I'd say the biggest hurdle to getting into RWBY are the first two Volumes.

That was the prototypical, experimental phase of the show. The least experienced, and the most lacking in financial and human resources.

But the characters are still as good at the start as they will be later, and Monty Oum's fight scenes are never topped.

The animation of everything outside of fighting improves greatly after these two Volumes, so that going back and rewatching them after Volume 4 is a little jarring. However, even back then the animators were able to give all of the characters more life and body-language that you'd get from a conventional 2D anime.

The writing around Jaune Arc is particularly rough. His backstory would almost make more sense if he was isekai'd into Remnant rather than born there, and his struggle with Cardin's bullying feels more like something set in normal middle-school rather than Monster-Killer College. The core ideas are fine, but the execution feels amateurish.

I was originally following each new chapter of RWBY as they released, but when I hit Jaune's little story arc, I just quit for two years. But that was the only time I quit.

If you power through Jaune's story-arc, the worst part of it is actually really short, the whole arc is 30 minutes tops, and the story immediately gets back to its strengths.

The end of Volume 3 hits like a truck, and catapults us into the story that the writers wanted to tell the whole time. This lost them a number of original viewers who were following the show every week for a new episode of Monster-Killer College.

I imagine the change is less jarring to everyone who started the show only after that point.

Volume 4 shows some growing pains in terms of writing and action choreography, as Rooster Teeth was still adjusting to Monty Oum's death. But if you didn't quit before now, it'll be fine.

[justatalkingface]

So this was something I asked my Discord Buddies a while back but I wanted to hear your opinions on. What rules from here do you think BNHA needed the most?

...Huh. Alright.

1. This is something that, if anything, MHA is committing to too hard, with how they're 'redeeming' flawed heroes and the villains; the fact they're trying is basiclly absolving them, or for just wanting things to be better so... not that one. Effort alone isn't everything.

2. Yes two. Definitely two. Like, Mirko's entire creepy thing falls under that, and I guess how Shigaraki went full Eldritch Hand later on (I think that's cool, personally, but I'd bet that'd be unpleasant for a lot of people). There's also the lack of focus on so many things, and Izuku's entire dismissal of his character in particular, under this rule.

3. ...This goes back to how unfocused Hori seems on whatever his end goal is, and how hard he seems to be trying to dodge various themes that are still present and relevent (corruption, villains with points, etc), so pass.

4. I'm not quite sure how that's a rule... I assume that means, have a simple story in mind or something like that? Stay on target? In that much, Hori is covered, it's just the gaps between 'Izuku becoming a hero' and 'saving the day', or 'becoming the Number One Hero' that need work, so not this either.

5. This. God this. MHA has so much bloat, so many one-off characters awkwardly being brought back for the final arc, or just made for this arc, or plot threads that seem to exist just to exist (that reporter? Really? Really?). Underline this one.

6. ...Actually, yes. Like, Izuku is never challenged beyond, 'Fight this', really, and he's still got shy bones to him, so forcing him to social situations, or into the more public end of heroism, could have a lot of plot to play with and general story development.

7. I'm assuming Hori has this covered, though I get the feeling that ending may have changed? It's hard to tell with how muddied things are. Still, he does seem to be going somewhere, even if it's badly, so I'll call it a pass.

8. ...I. Don't think Hori has much of a choice at this point, on this. Jump is going to make him finish this even if they have to bring him back from the dead.

9. This seems ultimately a writer only thing, so... call it irrelevant? Then again, I wonder at what his list of 'impossible' would be....

10. I get the feeling he does this; Mineta, probably, and I think he's got to see something of Endeavour in himself for him to go to bat for him so hard. Ultimately, though, don't know enough about him to call it, but I don't think that this is a major concern.

11. I like this. This is related to the whole theme thing I keep talking about; Hori doesn't know what he wants this story to tell, and so it kinda wobbles all over the place, message wise. Mark this one, for sure.

12. Yeah, he probably could have used this once he got going. A lot of the stuff after MHA took off has been way too predictable, though I wonder at how much time he had at that point.

13. This! The reason so many people like the earlier characters compared to later ones is they had opinions; it fleshed them out, made them feel human. As time passed, there was less focus on the characters beyond their narrative role, which makes them feel hollow.

14. And this, I think, is my theme diatrade, if put in different words. Hori has lost his plot so he can't tell his story right. The theme now isn't the theme it was at the beginning, which is very bad, but worse than that he never replaced that theme. I'm not sure there is one anymore. If I had to name the 'essence' of MHA at this point, it'd be, 'I don't agree with you, so let's fight'.

15. *taps it rapidly* Izuku says 'Hi', Hori. Also, the entire Todoroki family, and basiclly everyone Bakugou has ever talked to. This story needs a heavy dose of this so damn bad, because people don't act like people in the situations they're in would, which makes it all feel so artificial.

16. Stakes are covered. Stakes are almost nonsensically covered, really, so we are more than good here.

17. ...I. If Hori had committed to it, actually committed to it, dropped the themes that he started with, full out, and gone with something new, instead of half assing mentioning them every other minute, I think the story would be better off. I also feel like his approach to main character could have used this, though ironically, I'd like it he'd stop dropping every other character willy nilly.

18. Considering he's throwing the story out the window to be done with it, irrelevant. Quality has got to be one of his last concerns at this point, and things would have to be changed on such a systemic level to improve the situation to make this kind of thing pointless.

19. This is more of a late-game problem, but yeah, shit like SFO being shot just before killing someone, which is miraculously able to actually do enough damage to matter, with no story prep before hand hurts the suspension of disbelief.

20. Irrelevant for our purposes.

21. I've said this as well, but too much stuff is happening just so it can happen, just because it's cool, at the cost of plot and character, and he's never realized that that is a bad deal to make. Very much yes.

22. Toga alone proves MHA needs an infusion of this; he clearly has ideas on how certain characters are like, where they're going, and what people think of that. The reality of the matter, on the other hand, doesn't agree with that idea.

This was pretty interesting, actually. Some of these are bit too geared to the actual writing process to translate well, but still, definitely good stuff here.

[blazehedgehog]

Pinned Post

Since Tumblr is moving away from custom themed pages it's easier to just have a pin.

Hi! My name is Ryan, but everybody on the internet calls me "Blaze", as in BlazeHedgehog. I've had that internet username since at least 1998 or even 1997, where I picked it for myself as a high school freshman in the computer science lab. I was trying to fit in with other Sonic fans, you see. I just never felt like changing it (and now it's sort of like "my brand.")

I'm the founder of SAGE (The Sonic Amateur Games Expo), though I haven't had an active role in the event in a good while now. I still occasionally dabble in making games, and depending on who you ask, one of those games changed the face of an entire community.

Since then, I've been growing a slightly popular Youtube channel, and I occasionally stream on Twitch. I've been doing both of those a long time -- my Youtube channel dates back to 2006, and I've been livestreaming games since before Twitch even existed (Who here remembers a service called "Mogulus"?) I even used to run multiple Shoutcast radio stations back in the day!

In terms of this blog, it is largely an ask blog. I try to make sure at least one post goes up every day. Most people ask me questions about Sonic games, but feel free to ask me just about anything as long as it's not rude or too personal. Just be aware it might take a week or two for the answer to get posted, depending on volume and interest.

I wrote a big long intro post for the now defunct Cohost. If you'd like to know even more about me, that follows under the "keep reading" tag:

I still care a lot about fangames, and people's right to make fangames. SAGE was founded on the ideal of normalizing the fangaming scene in the eyes of the mainstream. Back when I first started, fangames were often considered another form of piracy. I wanted them re-categorized to be in the same realm as fanart or fanfiction. Whether or not SAGE accomplished that is anyone's guess, but the world is a lot more accepting of fangames these days regardless. A lot of cool people have featured their games at SAGE over the years, including the developers of Sonic Mania, Spark the Electric Jester, and Freedom Planet. SAGE is genuinely one of the things I am most proud of starting in my life, even if I haven't had a managerial role in over ten years.

I have been interviewed about SAGE and how it relates to the fangaming community. Both times I've been interviewed, I was granted permission to post my (very, very wordy) interview in full, if you'd like to read them:

Cultured Vultures: The Weird and Wonderful History of Sonic Fangames

Le Monde: When There’s No Good Sonic Games, Fans Develop Their Own

I was known for a few fangames in my time. I have a Youtube playlist where I've commentated over some of those games.

I've tried to transition to making original games, the most recent one being OverBite in 2016. OverBite was a game I created for a game jam, with the intent on making it a bigger, more robust thing to sell later on down the line. The game jam version you can download today is a little basic and boring. It was created over the course of 33 days and I did nearly everything alone -- coding, art, level design, all of it. I custom-built the physics engine, I custom-built the AI, almost none of it was using prefabs or existing example code. The only outside help I received was music, which was provided by my old friend Malcolm Brown (who really needs a better online presence for links like this).

Circumstances got weird (it's a long story, and this post is long enough) but the short of it is OverBite is permanently on the backburner until further notice. I'd love to go back and flesh it out some day, and really make it something special (I have a giant design doc for it!), but I have to focus my attention elsewhere.

I registered a Youtube channel in 2006, back in the early days before they were owned by Google. Around 2009, I did my first formal video review, for Sonic Unleashed. I was inspired by the style of Gametrailers (now Easy Allies) at the time. From there, I started taking my channel a little more seriously, and recently I have had the impetus to take it very seriously.

I have been livestreaming since at least 2009, as well. For reference, that's before Twitch.tv existed, back when the site was called Justin.tv, and was pitched more as people livestreaming their bedrooms with a webcam (what is now called "Just Chatting" on Twitch). I jumped around between sites like Mogulus.com, Livestream.com, and uStream. In 2012, I teamed up with a friend, Imran Khan, to stream Sonic 06 for charity. The 18 hour marathon raised more than $1000 for relief after the Japanese tsunami disaster of the same year. When I stream nowadays, I do it on Twitch, here. Archives of past streams can be found here and here.

I used to be a paid, professional games media writer for the niche site tssznews.com, but that site imploded after I worked there for 12 years. It ran out of money, the head didn't want to run it anymore, and after an embarrassing social media gaffe, permanently closed its doors basically overnight without warning anyone else. While at TSSZ, I helped break a lot of their biggest stories. A slowly increasing amount of my TSSZ work has been archived at Last Minute Continue, and you can always use the Wayback Machine. I also have plans to archive my "professional" writing on my own site, bltn.net, eventually. Some day.

(Since writing this, I have also uploaded a large chunk of archived TSSZ articles to The Internet Archive.)

I'm also an artist, or I was. Most of my other creative outlets eventually took precedent, but I still try and retain some artistic skill. There's a very dusty DeviantArt profile out there, and an art tag on my tumblr blog you can check out. Carpal tunnel has made drawing a little frustrating these days, however.

Is that it? I guess that's it. There are even more links to things that aren't necessarily worth a paragraph on the Linktree, and not to hustle you after reading all of that, but boy it would be great if more people supported me on Patreon so I can use all this stuff to help pay my bills and get me to a more comfortable place in life. Twitch subs and Patreon donors get early access to my Discord and yadda yadda yadda...

Oh yeah, and I even turned on Youtube Memberships recently.

[playingforever]

'Togetherness'...

The sound work and composition of Little Nightmares is really wonderful. I love how often the pieces are paired with an equally atmospheric name; something that packs an extra punch when you dwell on it.

When I learned that the (main, standard) iteration of the music box's melody is called Togetherness, this really ruined me! What a sweet name... As a result, I'm vividly forced to think of the music box as a symbol of Mono and Six's relationship. Representative of the state of being together; togetherness... The track also bleeds into this lovely ambience that plays when Six and Mono are having their first key moments in the Hunter's cabin. Mono offering his hand... Six beckoning him towards her... all of this, is interconnected with the music box, its tune...

The music box is a leitmotif present in so much of the game. In the very title screen! It's also in Teeth & Leaves, which plays once Mono wakes up at the start. The sound is eerie, as if carried through the wind, whistling through the trees... Makes me really feel as though Mono wakes up with an imperative urge, pull, towards the cabin. The memory of the music box ringing in his ears...~

What I also love, is how the emotional weight of Togetherness then recontextualizes Six's Theme from the first game. Six's Theme now evokes her music box, and subsequently, her relationship with Mono.

Obviously, chronologically, the music box's melody was made to take after Six's theme — likely drawing inspirations from the second part specifically, with its twinkly, childish feeling celesta and rhodes — but I still love the power of association it creates retroactively. I'd say LN2 in general was Tarsier reverse engineering more fleshed out answers to questions presented by LN1. Subsequently, I like reflecting on what the devs were going for with their choices, knowing they were going to be fleshing out Six with them.

We knew we had a cool character in Six, but we weren't prepared for how iconic she would become for people who liked the game. Because Little Nightmares was about the world and the kids that go there, not one kid. […] It just felt very natural that this then took place before the first game. Like, "well, where's Six been before? And how was it for her? Was there anyone she met along this journey to the Maw?"

— from an interview with lead writer Dave Mervik.

I like knowing these were the questions they had at the start of making LN2... There wasn't a solid resolution for 'who Six was', yet. I imagine when they made her theme initially, it was as simple as trying to encapsulate something cute yet creepy. Childish humming. That suits her character at the time of inception.

... it's sweet though, to walk it back and make it a tune Six found comfort in. A melody she would sing to herself even when reduced, warped. Something from a cherished object– one that she'd cling desperately to, bringing her a sense of escapism from the terrible world outside the tower.

Knowing Monster Six's room is enshrined in toys and present boxes, knowing the Thin Man gave her all this, is the music box not simply a gift from Mono...? Doesn't the very sound of it make her think of him?? Isn't that, emblematic of Togetherness-!?!!?!?

Really, it only makes sense that Mono destroying this wounds her so terribly, and that it's the catalyst for their separation afterwards. T-T (I'd have to make a different post about Mono's motivation towards breaking it (though just know it's driven by ignorance and self-hatred. And perhaps a wildcard incel jealously.)) But ultimately I like that Six remains perpetually haunted by it now. She can't escape the music box; it's an integral part of her psyche. As much as Mono is feeling its presence all throughout his journey, drawing him towards her again and again.

Anyways this was just me celebrating how much I love the fact that LN2 envelops LN1's narrative into itself... even on this granular of a level. I feel like Mono is a metatextual inescapable force that has left his handprints all throughout Six's being. She can't be freed from him... But, it's sweet, because without her, he wouldn't exist. :'3

[broken-clover]

🍓🔪🍬🦴🥤 :D

Wheeeee

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

Tbh you think I'd remember but I really don't. I have vague memories of making Pokemon OC's but wasn't really introduced to the concept of fanfiction until my older sister got me into Hetalia and I found out about it while looking up fanart. I think I've discusses it before, though, that I didn't feel confident writing full-on fanfic for the longest time because I was too terrified about writing characters OOC. Idk what exactly made me get over it, maybe GG just instilled enough brainrot I couldn't help it

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

See I dunno about 'weird' but I've done a lot of random shit I never thought would be relevant until I had to go look for it. Hard to objectively say what was the oddest so I'm just gonna make a list of some off the top of my head

-(I've repurposed a surprising amount of my learnings from mortuary for anatomical and medical reference)

-Giraffe/horse autopsy

-Introductory guides to Jamaican Patois

-"Can bats get polio"

-"Common clothing of Nepal"/"Common clothing of Tibet" (notable in that it ended up being relevant for half a paragraph)

-"Cheeses of Bhutan"

-"What is the highest proof alcohol you are legally allowed to buy"

-Profanities of numerous languages, including sign

-"How old are children before they can pronounce 'x'"

-Brazilian cryptids

-"least flammable bed fabrics"

-Treatment and recovery time of a PCL tear

-Step by step guides for kimono-wearing

-Bone throwing as a form of divination

-Adult clubfoot treatments

-"what type of video is security camera footage"

-"autoimmune diseases caused by stress"

-psychogenic stuttering

-how to replace/modify a clutch disk for a stick shift

-French homicide law

-Pyretic drugs

-LOTS of fish biology

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Probably in part due to oversaturation, but Bridget is just...kinda boring. I find her concept and story endearing and sympathetic, of course, but she doesn't have the same kind of complicated themes and bizarre lore that engages me like a lot of the series' other characters to the point where I can delve into it and get on that level of brainrot.

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

Can't simply say 'a.' I feel like I take a lot of bits from a lot of different stuff! I find I like to try and find 'weird' media frequently, though, I like seeing the bizarre concepts people can cook up and wonder if I'm not thinking outside the box hard enough. Likewise for horror, to a lesser extent

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

hweeeehhhh why do you always give me the tough ones. There's some really obvious picks, you and Jim and Roy and Crow, but I've probably done you all like three times already! Easy picks

Lemme see, if I wanna try and do something a little different than the obvious, I do have a couple recs! For anyone that's into Psychonauts, I totally recommend BabyCharmander (ESPECIALLY 'Cavity,' do not read anything else before you go into it, reading it for the first time hits you like a truck to the face) and The_Angst_Alchemist (Particularly if you're a Thorney Towers fan, they write the inmates with such panache and easily some of the best interpretations of Fred) It's a little more niche, but if you're an ARMS fan I recommend anything by MeltyMetroid, for a series that has such little lore they've written several incredibly fleshed out and well-constructed longfics (I'd recommend 'DisARMed' and 'Broken Mirror' for the plot-heavy jaunts and 'The Brass that Saved Christmas' if you want a good laugh)

Admittedly in general I don't pay as much attention to specific writers as I should, or the series I look for stuff for is so niche it doesn't really have dedicated writers

[in-ceptions]

the lil guidelines !

below are some 'general requirements' i would need you to be able to understand if we are to roleplay together ! if you are interested in roleplaying with me, please send me a pm. 'rules' are not explicitly set in stone.

THE BASICS.

I'm ur local forgetful lil guy <3 My name is Jesper, I use she/they pronouns, and I'm just a lil dude who enjoys creatively writing. I'm a full time masters student, and work part time, so my activity actively writing could potentially be sporadic come September, though I should mostly be available to chat and plot and the like if that's something u like! 

Unfortunately I also tend to have the constitution of a sickly Victorian child, so my health is another factor to note If I ever don't reply in a timely (before 1 week) fashion, please note it's not personal! Beyond of all this, I'm just a fuckin forgetful fool.

Though most of my ooc literacy will be colloquial and in small caps, I use proper literate grammar in roleplays.

I write in third person, generally multi para, though I've been out of writing practice for a while due to academic responsibilities.

That said, I've always been comfortable and most commonly roleplay multipara literate and occasionally novella, but only when I'm very inspired by a plot and/or character. I tend to match response length either way!

I do not do (oc x love interest) fandom roleplays. I do not double up in replies either, but I'm 100% down with doing multiple rps with the same person if several plots/ocs are mutually interested in!

When it comes to fandoms, I rarely roleplay canon characters. Any I do can be found here (tba), but please note they're massively personal interpretation and with my own head cannons. I am happy to write within canon/established universes though! Characters written in established universes can be found here (tba).

Also I swear a lot. Im sorry <3 if it's a big discomfort let me know and I will try to limit myself !!!

PAIRINGS AND DYNAMICS.

Pairing wise, I am a sucker for a romance but I'm also more than down for platonic relationships - and they don't have to be end up positive. Give me found family and besties and frenemies and straight up antagonistic duos.

All of my ocs are LGBT+. I do not have any heterosexual ocs, but I do have ocs who are interested in ''the opposite gender''. Some of my ocs are asexual, and some of them are non-binary or are flexible with pronouns. Queerness is something deeply embedded within me as a person, and one of the few things I share/transfer to my ocs.

Shipping is inherently based on the vibes I get from both the characters looking to be paired and the vibes from the writer, themselves. Enthusiasm and passion is exciting, and it rubs off! If you're looking forward and excited about characters, I'm going to feed off of that joy, too.

I ADORE plotting and chatting to who I'm roleplaying with. Not only is it a good way to flesh out an rp, but it’s also just fun to walk to someone who's also enthusiastic about writing! I'd love to make collaborative pinterest boards and playlists etc, if that's something you'd be interested in.

TRIGGERS.

Please tell me/direct me to your triggers and limits. Rping is for fun, and fun cannot be had with discomfort. It is never a want nor wish to cause any harm, purposeful or not. Please note if I see you have rules available to read, I will read them. Respect is a key part of writing, and the fundamental foundation to building any sort of relationship, be it casual writing buddy or beyond!

My own triggers are strong, recurring and prevalent themes of suicide, self-harm (in the context of mental unwellness) & eating disorders. explicit mentions of weight insecurities make me uncomfortable.

LIMITS & CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS.

I will not, under any circumstances, roleplay non-consensual nsfw, pe*dophila, or other such things. if you'd like clarification on anything/any topics that i haven't mentioned, please feel free to ask.

Please note that just because I haven't mentioned it here, doesn't mean I am open to roleplaying it. As I'm new here I'm not too versed on peoples' limits and preferences on this site, so I'm covering general bases.

Additionally, to reiterated: generally deplorable things involving minors, s/a between paired ocs and r*pe, in*cest will never be roleplayed/written by me. These are hard limits

Many of my characters have mature and controversial themes in relation to their backstory and characterisation. I will always endeavour to check your own limits first before I propose one of my ocs to write with you, and will be explicit about any potential triggering and mature themes they involve.

Several of my ocs deal with alcoholism/substance abuse, paranoia, homophobia, organised crime, murder, prostitution, cult behaviour/organisations, religious guilt, general mature themes and associated others. If you have any questions or desire any clarification about an oc, feel free to send me a lil msg. again, mutual respect and comfort is massively important to me - I want us both to be in a happy and healthy writing dynamic!

Additionally: please note I do not endorse any of the activities or lifestyles adopted by any of my characters. They are entirely fictional and never to be taken as 'vibes to emulate'.

PREFERENCES.

FACECLAIMS.

I am a writer inspired by other artists around me, and thus it's very common to see me reuse a faceclaim for multiple different ocs. This does not mean these ocs are carbon copies of each other; they simply have the same faceclaim. My most prevalent and used faceclaims are park seonghwa, jung wooyoung, lee jongsuk, byun baekhyun and more recently assad zaman.

I have no preference for opposite faceclaims, I just request that they're age-appropriate for the age of the character you're portraying! The full list of faceclaims I use is here.

The majority of my ocs are 25+. I have few younger ocs, and none under 19. I am far more picky when writing with them, and generally prefer to write those in their twenties and older. This is for realism, as many of my ocs would be bare minimum late twenties to be doing what they do, professionally.

tldr for this section: idgf about who ur faceclaim is. As long as they're not inherently problematic or inappropriate, I don't care what face you put to your lovely (or not) lil people.

FINAL REMARKS.

If you would like to see a writing example of mine, please send me a pm too. If you don't believe we'll match simply tell me so, I won't take it personally :)

To conclude, as it's probably pretty obvious I'm new to this sorta rp scene. I'm an ex-quotev user, and roleplayed for nearly ten years on the site - transferring here is going to take a little getting used to, so please bear with me! And if you have any further questions, please let me know; I will happily answer anything that needs clarification. <3

linked HERE are ocs/wips i am currently desiring to write for.

[unrepentantcheeseaddict]

WIP Questions Tag

I wasn't actually tagged by anyone, but @owlsandwich opened it up to everybody so I'm giving this a try! Open tag, but also no pressure tags to @somethingclevermahogony , @queen-of-the-weenies and @sarandipitywrites !

We're gonna do my main current WIP, God-Touched, and also a couple I've tabled for a bit due to stress, which are called Gods of Steel, and Nico after the name of the MC, respectively. I copy pasted the questions and I may have missed one or two.

What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

God-Touched: This is more of an overall writing struggle for me, but underwriting/being too concise. I tend to make unnecessary time skips when outlining and not add enough descriptive passages.

Gods of Steel: The world building. I usually enjoy complex world building, but I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this project. I'm taking it slow and building one aspect of it at a time as I'm motivated to do the necessary research, so fingers crossed that works out.

Nico: This one's kinda stupid, but keeping myself from imagining my protagonist as Nico di Angelo. She's completely different in appearance, mannerisms, etc, but I'm a rabid PJO fan and that was my first association with the name.

If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

God-Touched: Definitely something by Imagine Dragons, probably Natural.

Gods of Steel: Probably some kind of epic orchestral thing, I haven't found a specific track yet.

Nico: Song Of Women by the HU and Lzzy Hale. Going purely off of sound and vibes.

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

God-Touched: Supernatural, Firefly, the King Arthur reincarnated as a space lesbian book (Once and Future) and the book Spellhacker by MK England.

Gods of Steel: This is gonna sound really presumptuous, but I'm trying to make it similar to Dune and the Na'vi Avatar movies.

Nico: Honestly, Tamora Pierce, even though my story is more sci-fi than fantasy. Also slightly the Divergent movie (haven't read the book in years), in that the MC slowly realizes just how much of a dystopia she's actually living in, even though she started out compliant.

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

God-Touched: The general concept of Christian mythology put into a queer science fantasy context.

Gods of Steel: The setting, (humanity's original non-Earth home), and some of its history.

Nico: The idea for the relationship arc between the two main characters. It was the first time I'd ever wanted to write romance, and it was an interesting challenge to come up with how that would play out.

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

God-Touched: This is a major spoiler, but the main gang ends up adopting an iridescent rainbow baby space dragon. She looks majestic, but is actually a huge derpy goof. She's heavily based on Banana, my little sister's big ginger cat who is not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box

Gods of Steel: The main villains on this story are cyborgs, but some are cyborg animals rather than people. They started out as normal robots, but then got this virus that made them grow flesh, skin and other organic parts, but many of the animal-like ones still have working blades or guns as part of their bodies that they use when hunting humans for food.

Nico: The fauna of the setting for this one is very ice age influenced, the main character has a war mammoth that she's raised from a calf to be her mount and companion.

What part of your wip are you working on rn?

God-Touched: First draft of the first two books, if all goes well it's gonna be a five book series.

Gods of Steel: World Building.

Nico: In my first stage of outlining.

How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

God-Touched: spaceships and hover bikes

Gods of Steel: spaceships, then on foot after all their tech gets infected by the cyborgs.

Nico: Mammoth-back riding.

What are your hopes for your wip?

This is the same for all of them so I'll just do one answer: A devoted fandom that uses my books as inspiration to create their own awesome content. Fanart, fanfic, animatics, those character analysis YouTube videos, anything like that.

[habibibasket]

MY YANDERE SIMULATOR CONCEPT

Gameplay and Visual Design Concepts

The base idea of Yandere Simulator is pretty strong! That's just to say that I enjoy it though, my opinions can be kinda shit but still! The idea of systematically going through and eliminating your romantic rivals sounds like a fun game concept, but issues arise when you ask "what genre of game?" Since the one we have now is OVERWHELMED with issues. There's too many little details and distractions, with many additions not really fleshing out the world and instead just making things feel overstuffed and tangential. There's so many things to look at and explore which almost all become null and void as the rival eliminations have strict time limits and days must be spent solely on those things, giving you little to no time to actually experience the extraneous details. Additionally, the specific elimination methods don't really allow for much experimentation with the various items and weapons around the school, especially the blunt object weapons like the pipe or the baseball bat. There's so many different elimination methods and ways of killing but many of those methods just feel far less useful if none of the 'cooler' ways are completely unviable and pointless to carry out, basically only having negative consequences if you try to experiment beyond the "schemes." The schemes is also pretty stupid idea in its own right basically preventing user experimentation entirely by providing such strict instructions for your plots that any experimentation just becomes null and void as a result. It just leaves things feeling hollow and unearned as a result.

Many of main issues I have with the gameplay and presentation is entirely to do with the format of the game, which, I believe, also contributes to the main struggles with development. Models, animations, and cutscenes are all either inhibited, slowed, or completely ruined by the presentation of the game. The post-processing, blurriness, and character models in particular make everything look less than ideal. This leads me to my point and my idea for what this kind of story is best suited for...

A Visual Novel

I may just have a bias for visual novels but I do believe that with the rework I'd want with the story, a visual novel would be the best option. I want to completely replan the story anyway but even the original concept could work as a visual novel with enough planning and writing power. I imagine it more as an Ace Attorney style visual novel with a time system implemented. You can move around to the notable locations in the school and look for specific items in each room. These items will be marked in the background, and can be found with the right means and the right information. Talking to people isn't required but can be helpful if you're looking for a specific tool or trying to plan out a murder plot or trying to get dirt on the particular rival.

Additionally, there's a game design concept I want to focus more on. The idea that throughout the game, it's a Ayano/Ayato's descent into madness from their crimes and actions. Sanity is less of a gameplay factor and more of a central story theme. Additionally this is shown best with the rivals and "rivals" you kill throughout. The real rivals being those who show an interest in Taro/Taeko and who they might have an interest in as well. This will be touched on more in the rival section, but the descent into simply killing people who happen to just be near them is something I want to have built up to over time as you kill more and more people who are seemingly of no "threat" whatsoever.

I'll cover a lot of that once we get to the story section but before that I want to address setting and design.